The unprecedented speed and scale of the pandemic brought about a surge in various trends in the year 2021, especially digitalization, which created a host of opportunities for the downstream hydrocarbon industry, and a heightened focus on sustainability. As we walk into the year 2022, we look back on the most read pieces in 2021 which aimed to empower chemical companies build on their unique strengths and capabilities to redesign an industry backed on sustainability and innovation. In this compilation of the ‘Top, most read pieces in 2021’, we present you with the 10 most visited articles on the GPCA website over the last 12 months.
By Helen McGeough, Paula Leardini, Egor Dementev and Carolina Perujo-Holland, ICIS
As the world increases its focus on the climate crisis, sustainability has risen to sit high on the agenda of industry and government alike. The pace of change in transitioning to a circular economy has been rapid in recent years…
By: Aseel Al Bassam, Research Specialist, GPCA
In a race to develop low and zero-carbon hydrogen solutions, agri-nutrient companies across the region are blazing a trail in the hydrogen transition and ammonia is the desired transition fuel of choice…
By Andrea Valentini, Principal Consultant, Argus
The excitement about blue and green ammonia that started in 2019-20 shows no sign of abating, and project announcements around the world are piling up. The Middle East is endowed with a mix of resources that should make the region a prominent supplier…
GPCA analysis
GCC countries and India have long-standing trade ties dating back hundreds of years. In recent years, the regional petrochemical and chemical industry has actively contributed to India’s economic growth and development…
By Paresh Avinash Kulkarni, Senior Consultant, Chemicals Practice, Frost & Sullivan
Crude oil has conventionally been used to produce transportation fuels like gasoline, diesel, and other fuels. However, recently, the focus has been on more value addition from crude oil using technologies like Crude Oil to Chemicals (COTC)…
By Diya Menon, Senior Consultant-Chemicals, Frost & Sullivan and Aparajith Balan, Practice Leader-Chemicals, Frost & Sullivan
The chemical industry was already facing issues related to global overcapacities, lower profit margins and trade restrictions, among others in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the decline in oil prices, resulted in further pressure on the overall sector…
GPCA analysis
The share of women in the total workforce at GPCA member companies has doubled over the last 10 years, from 3% in 2010 to 6% in 2019. Yet on a global level, the regional industry is falling drastically behind…
By Accenture
Unlike the other industry downturns that were primarily cyclical in nature, chemical companies are now experiencing significant changes in how they operate and the way they serve customers…
By Chuck Venezia, SVP Petrochemicals, Argus
The past year has required all of us in the petrochemical industry to adapt to external disruptive forces: the sharp drop in crude oil prices flattened the ethylene cost curve and led to the re-examination of many planned capital investments…
GPCA analysis
The Covid-19 pandemic dealt an unprecedented blow to the GCC economy, causing it to contract by 6% in 2020. The economic decline was caused by measures associated with pandemic, national lockdowns, and the collapse in crude oil prices, which turned negative for the first time in history in April 2020…